The virtual classroom – how distance learning affects anxiety, self–efficacy and belonging in remote students
Authors
Baxter, Eimear
Issue Date
2022
Degree
Higher Diploma in Psychology
Publisher
Dublin Business School
Rights holder
Rights
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Abstract
The Covid-19 health emergency has affected educational institutes worldwide, with lockdown restrictions and rushed transitions to emergency online learning. The current research aimed to examine how these changes affected students psychologically, with a focus on social anxiety, self – efficacy and sense of belonging. The study sought to explore differences in levels of these variables between students who were learning exclusively remotely and those who were educated via face – to – face and remote modes. 74 third-level students took part in a cross-sectional study by means of an online questionnaire. The survey was comprised of self-report measures for social anxiety, self – efficacy and sense of belonging, based on Likert scale responses. Mean scores, T-test and Pearson’s Correlation were applied by SPSS26. The results showed no significant differences between remote and combination groups but reported a positive correlation between self – efficacy and sense of belonging. Limitations and implications for future research were addressed.